Man City 0 Arsenal 3

By Myles Palmer

Manchester City 0 Arsenal 3

Nasri 20, Song 66, Bendtner 88

Some days it goes for you.

How often do you miss a penalty at Manchester City and still win 3-0?

Arsenal can always beat 10 men because their multi-pass style probes and stretches and tires and eventually demoralises any team who are a man down, although City fought well for more than an hour. Arsenal played against 10 from the fifth minute, when teenage centreback Boyata was sent off for missing a risky tackle on Chamakh.

The first goal came when Nasri played a simple one-two with Arshavin, with Gareth Barry half-asleep, and beat Joe Hart sweetly at his near post. A slick finish by an in-form player who has started to produce at last. We were told in 2008 that he was one of France’s brightest young footballers. Nasri has scored seven in seven games

The period between the first two goals was one in which City played well, partly because Arsenal had all their midfielders carrying yellow cards. Denilson’s early foul on Tevez was the wildest challenge. I suppose Brazilians grow up watching Brazilians kick Argentinians and feel they have to do it.

When Kompany crashed into Fabregas in the box in 40, City keeper Joe Hart stayed still with both hands on his thighs and then went early to his left. He saved a Fabregas penalty that was too high and not near enough to the corner. Arsenal have missed three of their nine penalties this season.

Both goalkeepers did well. Fabianski made two fine saves from David Silva, who had nobody to play with after Tevez went off.

Adebayor replaced Tevez and went for a ｄ ｒｏｐping ball and headed over, surprising nobody. Ade is not good in the air. And he soon proved that by heading straight at Fabianski from an offside position.

City will have better days. Their team is a work-in-progress.

They lost a man in four minutes and a goal in 20 and then Hart saved a penalty that kept them in it for another half hour. You know it's a bad day at the office when you lose the best of your ten players in 52 and then Alex Song scores against you. The second goal came after more kamikaze defending by Kompany, who tried to pinch the ball in front of Chamakh as Fabregas slipped the pass through. Wayne Bridge, a sub who had become City’s third left back of the day, then let the ball bounce off his right foot to Song, who smashed in for 2-0.

Yaya Toure had been switched to centreback. Then he went back into midfield and cruised forward promisingly before going off injured.When Tevez limped off, City's last hopes limped off with him.

Goals change matches but red cards often change games as much. We’ll never know what would have happened.

I never saw the game I switched on to watch. 

What I saw was a four-minute game of eleven against eleven during which Tevez took Djourou apart, and set up Silva, whose flick was very well saved by Fabianski. Then Boyata was sent off and a different game began, one that was much harder for the home team.

FACT : Roberto Mancini put a teenage centreback in against a cute-moving 26 year old striker. He could have played Yaya or Boateng but he played the kid, who got sent off in four minutes. Mancini was right to leave out Adebayor but wrong to include Boyata. Wrong game for the kid, bad call by the manager, blinding result for Arsenal, winning with three terrific finishes and a clean sheet on a ground where they lost 4-2 last season. They didn't miss Wilshere or Vermaelen.

Sheikh’s Sky Blues 0 Wenger’s Foreign Legion 3.

Those three points mean that Arsenal jump into second place.

The league table shows that Spurs are level with West Brom.

Two razor-sharp finishes by Javier Hernandez !!!

A pragmatic ploy by Sir Alex at Stoke. He needed more height, so he brought in John O’Shea at left back and moved Evra to left midfield.

An electric header by Hernandez put United ahead after 27 minutes. It came after Nani and Evra worked a short corner, Nani’s left foot cross reached the far post, Vidic headed across the goal and the Mexican jack-in-the-box conjured a fantastic finish off the back of his head. Desire, agility, timing. A fabulous reflex goal.

Gary Neville was booked for a tackle from behind on Etherington and was very, very lucky to stay on after clattering the winger again.

Second half, Wes Brown came on for him, so a defender playing his 600th game for United was replaced by one playing his 350th. Continuity and experience count for a lot.

Sub Tuncay swerved in from the right flank in 81 and fired a bending shot across Edwin van der Sar for 1-1. Turkish delight lasted five minutes and then United hit back. Berbatov crossed, Scholes flicked on, and an Evra shot hit a defender and bounced across the goal to give Hernandez a sharp tap-in from five yards. His feet are as fast as his head. This was the kind of goal that used to be poached by Robbie Keane, who was Berbatov's strike partner at Spurs. Scoring looks easy when you have a dancer's balance and finely-tuned anticipation.

The sharp-shooting of the bouncy Mexican had given United their first away win in the League. The kid is mustard.

Stoke 1 Chicharito 2. 

LIVERPOOL are still in the bottom three.

Fernando Torres got the winner against Blackburn at Anfield when Joe Cole hit one of those wicked early crosses that Chelsea use.The unmarked Torres volleyed home in masterful fashion for 2-1.

Stevie G said, "This team is so different when Fernando's on form."

Oct 24, 2010